1. Field of the Related Art
The present disclosure relates to document processing services, such as printing systems, and more particularly, to a method and system for enabling document processing services (including printing) on a plurality of “pay-as-you-go” compatible multi-function devices (MFDs) for automatically transmitting a proof of payment of additional consumables.
2. Background of the Related Art
The concept of “network printing,” in which any of a plurality of computers submit digital data to one of any number of printers over a network, is well known. A conventional printing system uses a client/server architecture that usually includes three primary components. These components include (i) a client, (ii) a server, and (iii) an output device. The client conveys print and management requests to the server and receives responses from the server that arise in response to the submitted requests. The server receives these requests from the client, performs the required actions for each request, and returns the responses to the client. One such request from a client is a print request, i.e., a request to print one or more copies of one or more documents, with the printed pages output using one or more features. A print request may represent a collection of one or more documents to be printed, as well as instructions for printing. The server organizes the documents indicated in the print request submitted by the client into a print job. The server then sends the print job and any associated job control commands to an output device.
The output device is a physical device, or hardware, that is capable of rendering images of documents and producing hard copy output of the print jobs received from the server. The output device can then return responses to the server regarding its current state or the status of the received print jobs. The output device is commonly a printer. However, the output device may also be any type of multi-function device (MFD).
In general, a MFD operates as a plurality of different imaging devices, including, but not limited to, a printer, copier, fax machine, and/or scanner. In recent years the basic office copier has evolved into what can be referred to as a MFD. With digital technology, a machine with the basic outward appearance of a traditional copier can perform at least the additional functions of printing documents submitted in digital form over a network, sending and receiving messages via facsimile, recording hard-copy original images in digital form and sending the resulting data over a network, such as in electronic mail and/or recording hard-copy original images in digital form on a compact disc or equivalent medium.
In the area of digital printing and copying, there has been a growth in demand for MFDs. Such MFD devices may assume the form of an arrangement in which a single print engine (e.g., xerographic or thermal ink jet print engine) is coupled with a plurality of different image input devices (or “services”), with such devices being adapted to produce image related information for use by the printer or transmitted over a network. The image related information, in one example, could have its origin in video facsimile signals, microfilm, data processing information, light scanning platens for full size documents, aperture cards, and microfiche. MFDs provide a broader range of functionality than traditional single-function devices, such as dedicated printers, copiers, and scanners. As a result, because of their network transmission capabilities combined with their functionality, it would be useful to provide a means for transmitting a proof of payment for “pay-as-you-go” MFDs in an efficient manner.
For example, printers and other devices which consume materials such as toner and ink can be sold on a “pay-as-you-go” basis, where the device contains extra supplies which are paid for periodically when they are used. These devices cannot be used until the consumables are paid for, thus saving shipping costs when resupplying the device. However, the device refuses to use the supplies until they are paid for and requires some mechanism whereby it is informed that supplies have been purchased. Conventional mechanisms either involve accessing a user interface (UI) of the device and supplying a code obtained on purchase of supplies, or involves a means for communication between the device and a billing/payment center over a network connection, phone line or the like. The same issues arise with pre-paid metered devices where the right to use the device is paid for.
Thus, in conventional systems, there is no method for automatically informing one or more MFDs that the user or users of the MFDs have paid for additional consumables, such as ink and/or toner. Currently known methods for performing this process include several drawbacks. For example, if this takes the form of obtaining an authorization code on payment, and then entering the code into the machine though its user UI, either locally on the device or remotely through its web-based UI, the user is required to cut-and-paste the authorization code, or re-enter it manually, both of which are inconvenient. To take another example, if payment is transmitted to the machine over a network connection, say from a central site available on the internet, the device requires non-trivial configuration and deals with the issues of intervening firewalls and customer concerns about network privacy. As a result, this is an inefficient and time-consuming process since the user or users of the MFDs are required to complete several additional tasks in order to inform the one or more MFDs of additional consumables.
Consequently, current printing systems lack the capability to effectively and immediately inform one or more MFDs that usage rights have been repurchased. The present disclosure is intended to overcome the drawbacks of other methods by quickly and automatically transmitting a proof of payment for “pay-as-you-go” MFDs.